• Recipes: Chicken Tomato Pasta

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    Chicken Tomato Pasta Dish

    Another great meal made by my awesome husband.  He came up with this pasta recipe one Sunday for lunch.  The base is animal shaped pasta noodles (can you guess who picked out the noodles)?!   Topped with chicken, tomatoes, bok choy, spinach, and mushrooms.  It was a fresh and tasty combination perfect for dinner out on the deck with the family on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

    Chicken Tomato Pasta Recipe:

    • 1 lb Chicken Breasts (sliced, cooked, seasoned, and drained)
    • 12 oz Pasta (we used Organic Vegetable Pasta in the shape of Animals)
    • 1 large Tomato (or can of diced tomatoes)
    • 1 cup Fresh Spinach
    • 1 cup Fresh Bok Choy
    • 1/2 cup Fresh Mushrooms
    • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
    • 1/2 teaspoon Minced Garlic
    • Optional – 1/2 small Onion
    • Optional – 1/4 cup shredded Cheese

    1.  Slice the chicken in about 1 inch strips.  Heat 1/2 tablespoon of Olive Oil in a frying pans on medium heat and add the minced garlic (and onion if using it).  Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.  Add the chicken and stir gently as every couple minutes while working on the other steps. 

    2.  Add water to a pot and turn it on medium-high until it is at a rolling boil and add the pasta.  Cook the pasta per the directions on the package.

    3. Slice up the vegetables into about 1/2 inch to 1 inch pieces (tomatoes, spinach, bok choy, mushrooms).  Heat 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and tomatoes cooking them for about 2 minutes.  Add the spinach and bok choy, cooking for an additional 3 minutes or until the leaves are starting to wilt.

    4.  Scoop some pasta onto your plate.  Top with the tomato and vegetable mixture.  Add the chicken and a little more of the tomato and vegetable mixture.  Optional: Garnish with sauteed bok choy centers and a sprinkle of shredded cheese.

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    Chicken Tomato Pasta with a Bok Choy garnish!

  • Recipes: Cashew Apple Chicken

    Chicken Recipe - Apple Recipe - Recipes - P1470550c

    Cashew Apple Chicken

    I love weekends at home for many reasons.  It is awesome spending some extra time with my family.  During the week typically I do most of the cooking do to everyone’s schedule being a more crazy, however, on the weekends many times my husband will cook our family meal.  He comes up with some of the most amazing and delicious dishes.  It is so neat to watch him look in the fridge to see what we have or what needs used up then whipped together a new and tasty meal.

    Our family enjoys chicken, apples, and cashews so this meal was a hit.  I am so thankful for a husband who cooks.  He has widen my recipe collections with the variety of dishes he pulls together.  Yes, I am blessed!

    Cashew Apple Chicken Recipe:

    • 4 Chicken Breasts (boneless and skinless)
    • 1/2 tablespoon Olive Oil
    • 2 Apples, cut up in equal size pieces (we used granny smith because we had them in the fridge)
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
    • 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
    • 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
    • 1 tablespoon Italian Dressing
    • 1/4 cup Cashews

    1.  Mix together the salt, pepper,  and cinnamon into a small bowl.  Sprinkle the chicken breasts for a pinch of this mixture and set the remaining spice mixture aside.

    2.  Add the olive oil to a frying pan and allow to heat up using medium heat for about 1 minute. Add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook.  Cook for 10 minutes on one side and turn to cook for an additional 10 minutes on the remaining side.  The chicken should be a light brown on all sides.  While the chicken is cooking on each side do steps 3 to 5.

    3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

    4.  Grease a baking dish.

    5.  Dice up the apples and set aside.

    6.  Once the chicken is brown on all sides (see step 2) remove the chicken breasts from the pan and place them into the baking dish.

    7.  Add the Maple Syrup, Italian Seasoning, and spice mixture to the pan of oil and chicken juices.  Heat over medium for about 1 minute.  Add the diced apples and cashews.  Continue to cook for 3 minutes stirring gently.  Remove from heat and spoon the apple and cashew mixture equally over the chicken breasts.

    8.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

  • Recipe: White Chicken Enchiladas

    I found this recipe at Joyful Momma’s Kitchen and it was a big hit with our family.  I got double thumbs up from everyone on this delicious dinner! I added more cheese and toasted it longer (we like it extra crunchy on top) as well as used salsa instead of green chillies in the recipe but otherwise it is pretty much the same.  The joke around our house is there is no such thing as “too much cheese” sprinkled on top.
    • 10 Soft Taco Shells
    • 2 cups cooked, shredded Chicken Breasts
    • 2 cups shredded Mexican Cheese
    • 3 Tablespoons Butter
    • 3 Tablespoons Flour
    • 2 cups Chicken Broth
    • 1 cup Sour Cream
    • 4 oz Salsa
    1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9×13 pan
    2.  Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese.  Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.
    3.  In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute.  Add broth and whisk until smooth.  Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
    4.  Stir in sour cream and chilies.  Do not bring to boil, you don’t want curdled sour cream.
    5.  Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
    6.  Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.
    Chicken & Cheese stuffed enchiladas
    Creamy sauce poured over the chicken enchiladas
    Ready to be baked

    All done and ready to be eaten….yum!

  • Recipe: Whole Roasted Chicken

    As I was going through the deep freezer earlier this week I pulled out a whole chicken that was purchased a couple months ago on sale.  The chicken was over 4 pounds and I was able to get it marked down for $1.37.  I love being able to get meat at a great price especially when the meat can be used for multiple meals.  The chicken came out juicy, tasty, and delicious!  The girls even ate several pieces for dinner.  There was plenty of chicken leftover for another meal plus a few more pieces to make chicken salad sandwiches.

    Whole Roasted Chicken:

    • 1 (3 to 4 pound) Whole Chicken
    • 3 tablespoons Mayonnaise
    • 1 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
    • 1/2 teaspoon minced Onion
    • 6 tablespoons Butter or Margarine

    Preheat oven or roaster oven to 350 degrees

    Remove giblets from the inside of the chicken and place the chicken in a roasting pan or pyrex dish.

    Mix mayonnaise and poultry seasoning together (if you do not have poultry seasoning you can use Onion Powder, Salt and Pepper).  Spread the mayonnaise mixture all over the outside of the chicken.

    Put 3 tablespoons of butter and minced onion inside the cavity of the chicken

    Slice the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter or margarine and place over the outside of the chicken.

    Bake the chicken uncovered for 1 hour 15 minutes.  (The chicken should be 180 degrees internally.)

    Remove chicken from heat, baste with the juice in the pan from baking, and cover with aluminum foil for 30 minutes prior to carving.

    Photo by The Culinary Geek